


Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene

by ObliqueOptimism



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-05 00:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18355112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObliqueOptimism/pseuds/ObliqueOptimism
Summary: Klaus says so many horrifying things so casually, and it makes Dave worry.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> so the first half of this i wrote while on vacation on my ipod and the second half while drunk. [sam](http://wickedlydevious.tumblr.com) looked it over as per usual, so many thanks to her! as a heads up this story mentions it offhand but in this version, klaus has died previously and met god earlier and knows that he's not going to be welcomed with open arms by her

Our story begins in Vietnam, 1968, when one Dave Katz closely watched one Klaus Hargreeves. Klaus had showed up out of the (literal) blue and had no dog tags, no equipment, no clothes, and no idea where or when he was. 

He did have a towel though.

So there’s that.

But it didn’t take long for Dave to make a comment about how Klaus’s basic training let him down.

“Nah, my basic training didn’t let me down. It’s just been years ago now. Also a lot of it is for a shorter me; child-size, if you will,” Klaus held a hand up to his hip, as if showing the height of a child.

So really our story starts in the United States, 1994, when one Dave Katz was dead and one Four Hargreeves had just turned five years old. It’s his first lesson on fighting and defending himself. Nothing very complicated, but it’s a start. The day after the first lesson the walls of their house were lined with posters of small children doing basic fighting moves. 

But back in Vietnam, “What does that even mean?” Dave asked, wondering how Klaus skipped the military’s basic as well as what child-size meant. He didn’t think he would like the answer to either. 

“I know how to gouge a man’s eyes out,” Klaus held up two fingers, slightly bent and mimicked what Dave assumed was the gouging motion. 

“What the fuck, Klaus.”

“I also know how to choke a dude out from behind or from within a bigger man’s grip if he has me restrained,” Klaus mimed choking himself out.

“Klaus, what the fuck.”

“I was pretty good at disarming people,” Klaus’s hands jerked out faster than he’d ever seen Klaus move and just as suddenly he had Dave’s gun in his hand. “Mostly I was the lookout as I wasn’t great at the murder thing, not that we were encouraged to kill. Except for Ben. Daddy had him kill a lot.”

“Your dad?”

“We were his first and only group of murder babies. Thank god we were such failures and disappointments or father may have bought more kiddos to fuck up.” He clapped his hands together, “Yay!”

“Did you say ‘bought’?”

“So no, I did not do the basic training you and the others did, but I know some defense stuff. Especially if I am fighting someone bigger than me; which is unlikely anymore. Five had the right idea to look 13. Dearest papa started to give up on having me fight by then so I don’t know moves for taller and adult me,” Klaus shrugged. 

Glancing at Dave Klaus realized he maybe said too much too soon, “Only joking, man.” Thank god he hadn’t mentioned the super powers. Speaking of, “Got any drugs?”

Dave was worried for Klaus. He didn’t believe that he was joking, he had said them so nonchalant that it was so blasé about it that it had to be true . He was also confused by the sudden change of subject. 

Dave learned that was a facet about Klaus. He said horrible things so casually, as if they were normal. Once in a while he’d backtrack and claim it was a joke, when he realized it wasn’t typical, but more often than not, he’d leave the men in the unit gaping silently, worried and wondering.

During the first few days Dave told Klaus he would get used to sleeping on the cot as Dave noticed that he wasn’t sleeping well. He hadn’t been in ‘Nam long and so he probably wasn’t having nightmares yet.

“Nah, I’m not sleeping because of the noise. This cot is better than I had at home,” Klaus shrugged like the worn out and stained with blood cot was not bad or uncomfortable. “Other than a few shelters or a sofa here and there I have been living that sweet, sweet homeless life.”

Then guys spoke about their first times with women and Klaus said he didn’t remember it: the drugs of course. To Dave that sounded bad, like he was taken advantage of. Yet Klaus acted like it’s nothing, it’s normal. It was fine that he didn’t remember his first time at _fourteen years old_. Dave wanted to get names from Klaus but he didn’t remember those either.

And typically newcomers have issues seeing all the gore, but not Klaus. He never batted an eye and said he’d seen worse. What could be worse than the Vietnam war, Dave has no idea. He didn’t want to know. Had he seen worse when living on the street?

And the way Klaus talked about death made Dave’s hackles rise. He spoke the most casually about death; like it’s an old friend of his. 

“I am a homeless junkie, Dave. Not only have I been acquainted with a lot of people who’ve died but I have been known to have my heart stop at a rave. Like a party trick!” Klaus gave jazz hands. “God says I’m not allowed to die at a rave. She’s such a bitch but at least she doesn’t want the party to stop. _And we can’t stop, and won’t stop._ ” 

Dave almost threw up. 

It became apparent early on that Klaus thought little about himself. He often put himself down, made it clear that none of them should expect much from him, and he often volunteered for suicide missions. Always ready to throw his life away.

But somehow he always came back. 

Dave wasn’t sure how he always made it back. He didn’t like to shoot his gun, he was bad at being sneaky as he often just spoke to the air as he hallucinated (which he was on drugs most of the time -- even on suicide runs), and he didn’t know his way around the jungle. 

Sometimes when he came back, he’d be covered in blood. Dave always hoped it wasn’t his. Not that he wanted Klaus to come to him later, haunted eyes, as if he killed people that day, but he just didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Not anymore. He’d suffered enough.

“Oh the first time I tried to leave the house in heels -- mind you I wasn’t wearing a skirt this day, that came later, dearest daddy wacked me with that wicked cane of his. Told everyone I tripped on the stairs,” Klaus snorted, “As if I would ever trip in heels and break my jaw.”

Dave _worried_ for Klaus.

Sometimes others would go on the suicide missions with Klaus. If he wasn’t the only one to make it back, the others would talk about how he saved them. He stopped them from stepping on a trap last minute, or he pushed them out of the way when the bullets started, or he snuck off alone and (somehow) silently took out the lookouts. 

“I used to be the lookout, my dudes. And when I wasn’t high off my ass I was a pretty good one, if I say so myself. Unless the food truck was around. And if darling Reggie didn’t want me to leave my post at the bank robbery to get tacos maybe he shouldn’t have forbade me from eating at meal times. _’Number Four doesn’t get any food for two days, Grace. He shouldn’t have stolen two bottles of my stupidly priced whiskey_ ’ Okay, so he wouldn’t say they were stupidly priced, but they were! Five hundred dollars a bottle?” Klaus paused, “I mean it was really good booze.”

Klaus did not like it when Dave also went on those missions with him. Dave liked it (not actually ‘liked’ who liked anything about the war?) because it meant they could watch each other’s backs. 

“Death isn’t all it's cracked up to be, Dave!” Klaus yelled, arms waving about, “You may not get the peaceful black and white of death but instead get the loud haunting of this world! As someone who has died, trust me, it's not nice.”

“You could die too,” Dave pointed out, “and a bullet in the head is not like OD’ing at a rave with an ambulance near.”

Klaus made a face at him that Dave couldn’t interpret. 

But he didn’t like it. 

Before too long, Dave was on another suicide mission with Klaus. It was the third time they’d been paired together for it, and this time it was just the two of them in the jungle. They were trying to sneak into an enemy camp to get some information. A two men team might be able to get in and out without being seen, as unlikely as it was.

And it seemed even more unlikely when Klaus was acting up. He was twitching, looking every which way, muttering to the air beside him, and coming down from his high. However Dave had seen him go on these missions in worse conditions so maybe they’d defeat fate once more. 

Very quickly, Klaus put his arm in front of Dave, stopping him from moving, “There are two men up ahead. Facing away from us, smoking? Apparently having cigarette and piss break. _Fabulous_.”

“Silently take them down?” Dave suggested.

“Do you have super powers too? Mind reading, mayhaps,” Klaus chuckled, not explaining the ‘too’. Or how he had this information.

“Mayhaps,” Dave agreed. 

They crouched down and as silently as they could they moved forward in the underbrush. Dave was able to take out his guy without much of a fuss, choking him from behind quietly. He glanced over and saw Klaus do some sort of fast jab at the guy’s neck which sent him down instantly. 

That wasn’t taught in basic.

“What the fuck, Klaus.”

Klaus shrugged, “My basic was different than yours. I thought I explained that already.”

“You used the term ‘murder babies’,” Dave said, the term feeling awful in his mouth.

Klaus nodded, snapping, “That’s us. A family of murder babies. Y’know a family who murders together does not stay together because of trauma.”

That wasn’t how the saying went but Dave didn’t think Klaus would appreciate the correction. Also he was horrified. 

They got closer to the enemy base.

There was no one around, or so Dave thought, when a baddie jumped out of the bushes at Klaus who immediately _gouged his eyes out_ and as he fell screaming to the ground and clutching his face, Klaus punched him in the head, knocking him out. 

“Klaus, what the fuck.”

Klaus wiped the blood from his fingers on his pants, “I told you I could do that, right? I don’t actually make a habit of lying. It’s just,” he shrugged, “no one ever believes me.” He put a hand on Dave’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, no one but Ben believed me. And he only started to believe me after he died.”

There was a lot to unpack there. The fact that he doesn’t lie, the fact that just after that his brother realized that but only _after he died_. The fact that he’d spoken about meeting God?

The mission fell apart after that. Maybe the guy’s screams as his _eyes were gouged out_ or just because they weren’t quiet enough, but the gun fire started. It was as intense as it always was. No way of knowing where the bullets were coming from next, where to put their own bullets. He was glad to have Klaus by his side. Not because he was a good luck charm on these missions but because it was _Klaus_ who he _desperately_ wanted to kiss.

And then

Without warning

Klaus was shot in the head

And bleeding out in Dave’s arms

His brains matting the growth behind him in the brush

Dave’s hands covered in the blood as he tried to save his friend

Klaus couldn't die

_He was Klaus_

As Dave felt himself babble nonsense at a body, a body of his friend

Someone he could maybe love one day

He felt his world fall way

He hadn’t known Klaus for long and he knew already that a world without him? Would be so meaningless. Why bother fighting if he couldn’t whisk Klaus way and treat him as he should be treated?

He knew he was mumbling nothing of import as he cradled Klaus’s head in his lap, ignoring the blood and the open eyes and the gaping mouth. As if he was about to tell another joke. 

_Fuck the mission_

And then

A gasp

“What the fuck, Klaus?!” Dave yelled, as Klaus’s eyes started looking around, as he took a gasp of breath, as the actual whole in his head healed.

Klaus lifted a hand and cradled Dave’s face, “I told you. God doesn’t like me very much.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave has some questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, this just wouldn't leave my head like obvi dave would have questions after _all that_ so a chapter two happened? and plans for a chapter three. sorry not sorry if no one wanted this but whatever

Our story continues in Vietnam, 1968, when one Dave Katz closely watched one Klaus Hargreeves. Dave was certain he had dissociated for a length of time. After he had seen the guy he had a crush on (wartime Vietnam, 1968, was not a place to have a crush on a guy; actually nowhere in 1968 was a good place to have a crush on a guy but this was just how Dave’s life was) come back to life after getting _shot in the head_.

He remembered asking Klaus _what the fuck_. He found was half of his vocabulary when talking with him. He’d always said the craziest things, everyone blaming it on the drugs and his apparent abuse he’d suffered as a kid. Even when he was sober, he wasn’t always present with them. He’d mutter and hiss and flip off the air beside him.

But now? At this moment? Klaus had one arm around Dave’s shoulder as he guided him through the jungle.

“--reason why I got the cot next to you wasn’t that it’s where I first landed but after that first day when we were getting ready to bunk down, Lopez was there, staring at what was his bed and told me to take it, wasn’t like he was going to use it. And as he was the only one that day who met his mortal coil or whatever the saying is and I thought _why the hell not?_ I was so tired that first day. Didn’t care if someone would yell at me about disrespecting Lopez. Of which I wasn’t disrespecting the man as he told me take his bunk, obvi.”

Dave struggled with the words that were being said to him. He remembered that day. Nelson had yelled at Klaus about waiting before claiming someone else’s place and Klaus just laughed at him as he laid down on the cot next to Dave.

Klaus was the third person to take that cot since Dave was stationed there. 

Lopez had snored in his sleep.

Klaus screamed silently in his slumber.

“Lopez also had me take his clothes. He felt sorry for me and my bloody towel. Really the room service in the torture hotel was so sub-par, darling. Maid service didn’t even open the closet to vacuum in there and find lil’ ol’ me tied to a chair in a not at all fun way.”

“Klaus, what the fuck,” Dave’s voice was rough, as if he’d been screaming.

“Oh? You’re back? _Wunderbar!_ We have missed you, Dave,” Klaus grinned widely at him.

He had blood on his face.

The back of his hair was matted with brains.

Because he’d been shot.

He’d died.

Suddenly, Klaus’s hands were cupping his face as he stared directly into Dave’s eyes, “Davey? Hey, be a peach and stay with us, huh? I know you’ve seen some shit, but it’s all over now.”

“ _’I’ve seen some shit’_? Klaus, you died! There is brains in your hair. And now you’re -- what? Somehow alive?” Dave was having trouble breathing.

Klaus’s thumb started to stroke his cheek, “Yeah, I died, babes. It happens. Then I get up and continue on, because God always kicks me out. Oh boy, is she getting mad at me lately. But as I told her, I’m at war, what does she expect? She’s not impressed and tells me to just go home. _As if._ ”

“It happens?” Dave stumbled, his legs starting to give out on him. Did that mean that-- “How often do you die on these missions? Klaus, is it every time?” He Locked his eyes back on Klaus’s, “Klaus?”

Klaus looked down for a split second before looking back up and putting on a smile that was a touch too big, “Nah. Not every mission. _Hardly ever._ ”

Dave narrowed his eyes, “Do not lie to me.”

Shrugging, “Okay tbh, it's not every mission. But uh, a lot of them.”

He was nonchalant about it. As if it wasn’t a big deal. Klaus knew on some level it was, because he’d lied, but when forced to tell the truth the way he shrugged and answered was as if he didn’t care. As if it was okay to die. Okay that one time God might keep him. 

Dave broke from Klaus’s grasp to throw up.

“Shh, its okay. I’m okay,” Klaus said, rubbing circles on Dave’s back, “I’m alive. It’s fine. No more hole in my head, see? And--And I’ll wash my hair asap. You’ll be okay, Dave.”

Clearing his throat, Dave glanced at Klaus, “What happened after you-- after you--”

“Well, I gathered you up, as you were totally out of it, which is understandable, dollface; gathered you up and dropped you off which the guys we took out before going back and finishing the job. Got the intel. Didn’t die again. I think? Time gets a little weird for a bit when you get brained. Y’know how it is.”

Dave almost threw up again. 

Klaus soon bundled Dave up and started leading them again, whispering quietly, “--to a river? Wash for me and like, to splash his face like those teens in acne commercials.”

They were soon at a river.

How exactly Klaus knew to get there, Dave wasn’t one hundred percent sure. But Klaus had been talking to the air and he’d just mentioned talking to Lopez after he died and _Klaus’s brother only believed him after he’d died._

“Do you see the dead?” Dave asked as they both sat down next to the water.

Klaus looked up, surprised, “Wow man! Let’s get you on Jeopardy! Do they have that show yet? Nevermind, doesn't matter. Shall we get you cleaned up, Dave? Get that blood off you,” he gestured to the water.

He was ignoring the question.

Side stepping it, so that he didn’t have to answer it. 

He’d seen Klaus do it before, that or give the answer in a form of a joke.

A joke unless you _listened_ to what he actually said instead of how he said it.

“Klaus.”

“Okay so sure, I see the dead. Unless I’m high. Therefore I’m usually like a kite,” he giggled. 

“What the fuck, Klaus. How?” Dave stared at his friend.

“Short story goes like this: Rich bastard buys seven kids, he gives them numbers for names. Probably helps dehumanize them. One through Six have powers. Rich bastard tortures kids to make a team of super heroes but calls it ‘training’,” pausing for a second, he muttered, “Training my ass.” Swallowing, he continued, “Number Five leaves one morning when they are 13 to the future, doesn’t come back for 17 years and when he does he says the world is about to end, when they’re all 16 the band breaks up -- people start moving out one by one, Number Six dies when they’re 20. Rich bastard dies when they’re 29. Yay!”

“You’ve called yourself number four before.”

“That’s me! Number Four has the power to see the dead. Sucks to be him, huh?” Klaus joked, starting to wipe the blood off his hands and face, “I’d ask you to help me with my hair but I don’t want you to up-chuck again.”

He might anyway.

“Klaus, you can see the dead and you’re in the middle of the Vietnam war,” he looked Klaus up and down, worried for him.

“Gee thanks,” his tone was light, not mocking, “I hadn’t noticed.” He dunked his head in the river, face first, and then scrubbed at his hair. After what felt like should be too long, did he drown, is he dead _again_ , Klaus popped back up, taking deep breaths, “Did you know that Diego can hold his breath for as long as he wants? Think of the blowies I could give if that was my power instead of this shit.”

Dave was not in the state of mind to think about blow jobs. “Diego?”

Klaus held up two fingers, indicate the number two, “He needs to lighten up. When we were six dad had him throw tennis balls at us to practice his aim. At eight it had upgraded to knives.”

“You were just kids. Little kids!” Dave yelled. Quietly cursing, he looked around to see if any of the Viet Cong had heard. 

Klaus was looking to his left, face and hair dripping with river water, “No worries. No one alive is around for miles.” He seemed to be ignoring the fact that they were kids when their dad had Diego throw knives at the others. Like that was normal.

Dave had figured before _all of this_ that Klaus had a fucked up childhood. But it seemed like he’d been holding back.

And that _scared_ Dave.

That _worried_ Dave.

If this had been Klaus holding back? What horrors did his dad do to them? Klaus had already hinted at not being allowed to eat for days, said his dad broke his jaw, _said his dad had them murder_. 

Before he realized what he was doing, Dave had rushed forward and caught Klaus in a hug.

He ignored the flinch.

After a second, Klaus melted in his arms, “Oh? A hug? How lovely. Not sure what brought this on, but I hope I don’t get brains all over you. Dave? I don’t know if I got them all out of my hair.”

Dave held on tighter. 

Klaus _finally_ wrapped his arms around Dave. “Sorry, I’m not used to giving hugs. Sorry, if I’m doing it wrong. Sorry, you had to see me die,” his voice cracked, “Sorry, I’m--”

“You have no reason to be sorry,” Dave said. “Its okay. You’re alive again, I’m alive. And you are the bravest person I know.”

Klaus pulled back then, “You must not hold that bar up very high.”

Dave laughed lightly, leaning in and resting their foreheads together, “It’s high enough.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave goes to the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright, so here is the end. this is the last of the stuff i have planed. and once again, thanks to sam for looking it over and finding obvious mistakes, any other mistakes are mine.

Our story concludes in the United States, 2019, where one Dave Katz closely watched one Klaus Hargreeves. They had just arrived via _time travel_ and Dave couldn’t help but compare it to what he already knew.

He thought back to Vietnam, 1968, and how after he knew about the ghosts, he was surprised at how he didn’t pick it up before, Klaus spoke of the dead often. The worst was the time(s) he found Klaus with one ear bleeding, and when he’d question, Klaus would shrug, “They broke my eardrum again.” As if that was normal. 

He thought about the night in the bar, when they kissed in secret. “As a warning,’ Klaus said afterwards, “the longest relationship I’ve been in was three weeks and that was only because I was tired of trying to find a place to sleep. So if you want a real relationship, I’m like a dumb idiot baby.”

And then:

“You aren’t very good at keeping our relationship a secret,” Dave said, “We are in the military. Its not legal, you know.”

“Sorry, sorry, so sorry,” Klaus held him close, “I forget. And I’m bad at secrets. Y’know the saying ‘two can keep a secret if one of them is dead’ means nothing to me, darling.”

“How can you forget to keep it a secret? Even back home--”

“Oh, well. That’s why. Back home,” Klaus nodded, “You get it.”

“I don’t Klaus,” Dave sighed.

“Haven’t I told you that I’m from the future?” Klaus looked very confused.

Dave froze. His first thought was that Klaus was joking but he soon reminded himself that _Klaus didn’t lie and Klaus saw the dead and Klaus couldn’t stay dead_ , “No, sugar. You haven’t told me that.”

“Oh,” He sounded surprised. “Well I am. 2019. Where gay marriage is a thing and we can hold hands in public even tho I’ve still been hate crimed. But at least now when I get hate crimed the law is on my side! Except not because usually they are just as mad, if not madder, at me because of the drugs. _C’est la vie_.”

“Klaus, what the fuck.”

He shouldn’t be saying _c’est la vie_ at having hate crimes done against him.

But over the next few weeks, Dave would ask about the future. He liked how it sounded. Sounded better than the jungle from hell.

After a bad day where Klaus died _again_ as well as some of their other friends, he approached his boyfriend.

“Can we go to the future?”

Klaus’s smile was slow but ended up big and bright, “Hell yes!” He grabbed Dave’s hand, “Why didn’t I think of that? Bring _you_ with me. I’m so stupid, Ben was always my last remaining brain cell and he’s not here anymore because _past_. Please forgive me for being the failure who never thought of it.”

Dave pulled him close for a moment, “You aren’t an idiot, or a failure.”

“Yeah, okay,” he rolled his eyes, “whatever you say Karamo Brown.”

“Who?”

“Oh you’ll love this,” Klaus stepped back and started tugging Dave again, “He’s one of the Fab 5. Five gay guys who have a tv show where they go around and fix people’s lives for them.”

“They have a tv show? With gay guys?” Dave asked, surprised.

“Sure. And all five of them can _get it_ ,” turning, Klaus gave Dave soft smile, “Not as much as you can. You are an absolute snack.”

Before Dave knew it, he was in the tent, holding hands with Klaus as he fiddled with the briefcase. Before Klaus opened it, he looked to the air beside him, “See ya later, Lopez.”

And then

A bright light of blue

Like when he first saw Klaus

And if that didn’t _suddenly make sense_

Blinking quickly, he noted that he was still holding hands with Klaus

And on a bus?

Klaus squeezed his hand tighter

“Just take a deep breath. The awful feeling will go away. That’s time travel, _babey_.”

He took a deep breath

They got off the bus

They still held hands

“Okay so, as said: _technically I’m homeless_ ,” Klaus sang with his free hand cupped around his mouth, “So we’re going to the shithole I grew up in.” He led the way as Dave took in his surroundings.

It looked a lot like it did in ‘68. There weren’t even flying cars. He was promised those. Oh boy did the Jetsons get things wrong.

Klaus stopped them in front of a mansion. “Welcome to the Umbrella Academy!”

“What the fuck, Klaus. You said it was a shithole,” Dave looked, wide-eyed.

Klaus shrugged, “I also have mentioned that father was a rich bastard.”

Once inside Dave understood how it was a shithole. This wasn’t a home, this was a museum. Everything felt like it was placed _just so_ , felt like he wouldn’t be able to touch something without being yelled at (or worse wacked with the wicked cane Dave heard about), felt like it was not a place where children could grow up.

There was a giant chandelier in the main foyer. On the floor. 

“Oh I bet that came down when I was kidnapped,” Klaus murmured. 

Dave always intended to question the kidnap and torture that Klaus spoke of, and this would be as good time as any--

“Master Klaus, your brothers were looking for you. And you’ve brought home a friend?” A literal monkey in a suit _with glasses_ said.

“What the fuck?” Dave glanced at Klaus for information.

Klaus looked confused himself, “They went looking for me?” His voice quivered in a way that Dave didn’t like. “Pogo, they actually noticed I was gone?”

“Ah,” Pogo looked down, “well yes. After the intruders left a note for them in Master Five’s van.”

_“Oh.”_

And if that didn’t break Dave’s heart.

“Are you telling me,” Dave was surprised at how angry his voice sounded, “Klaus’s family didn’t notice he had been kidnapped and tortured until the torturers left a note? Did no one check up on him?”

“Dave, it’s fine,” Klaus said quietly, “A lot happened that night. Looks like the house got shot up and--”

“And that’s even more of a reason to check up on you!” Dave yelled. 

“Last night we were concerned with Master Luther,” Pogo gestured to the chandelier, “after this fell on him. He was fine, of course. And this morning we found Grace had been killed by them.”

Klaus’s head shot up, _“Mom?”_

“I have been fixing her,” Pogo said. “She will be back to her usual self soon.”

“How are you fixing her? You said she died?” Dave glanced at Klaus, “Is she like you?”

“She’s a robot.”

So the Jestons got something right.

“Master Klaus what does your friend mean ‘like you’?” Pogo looked Klaus up and down.

Klaus waved his hand, “Doesn’t matter.”

“Your family doesn’t know?” Dave questioned. How could they not know? They all had powers, surely they knew about all of their powers?

“Ben knows.”

“Again, Master Klaus, Master Ben is dead,” Pogo said, “You know how your siblings feel about you talking like he’s with you.”

“I mean, he isn’t right this second, which I need to question him about. I just got back, surely he noticed? I mean, Lopez has already found me but not Ben?” Klaus turned and grabbed Dave’s arm with his free hand, “Do you think he went away when I went away?”

“Hey,” Dave wasn’t sure what was all going on, but he knew Klaus needed someone to believe in him, “of course not. He’ll be back. Maybe try calling for him? Last he knew you just disappeared. He wouldn’t know where you went or when you’d be back.”

Klaus nodded, visibly swallowing, “Yeah, yeah. That’s -- yeah.”

“How about we go to your room and take a breather?” Dave thought Klaus would need on just as much as he did.

Ignoring Pogo’s protests, Klaus lead them to his room. Klaus sat on his bed while Dave read the walls. Dave smiled when he heard Klaus let out a shaky, “Ben.”

Ben was back. Good.

So that night Klaus raided Allison’s closet for himself and Ben’s for Dave. Ben said he didn’t need the clothes anymore. Dave had a moment after that, because apparently that was basically what Lopez had told Klaus.

That night they stayed up late, mostly telling Ben what happened. According to Klaus, Ben was glad that he was back, glad that he was sober, glad that he’d found Dave. 

Even though he couldn’t see or hear Ben, Dave liked him. 

When they finally laid down to go to sleep, Dave whispered, “Klaus, why the fuck didn’t you warn me about a monkey butler and robot mom?”

Klaus laughed and hid his face and Dave’s shoulder.

The next morning the door flew open and a literal giant stood in it, “Oh good you’re back from your bender, family meeting in-- did you have to bring a john or dealer or whoever back?”

“Luther, Dave, Dave, Luther,” Klaus didn’t open his eyes, as he snuggled closer. “He’s my boyfriend. Also I wasn’t on a bender. Kidnapped, remember?”

“Diego found no proof of that,” Luther frowned, “Just his dead ex. Anyway, family meeting in ten. Your uh, boyfriend, isn’t invited.”

After he left, Klaus finally sat up, “Fuck him, you’re part of the family so you’re coming.” 

“What do you think the meeting is about?” Dave asked, putting on some of Ben’s clothes. He hoped Luther wouldn’t be mad about him wearing his dead brother’s clothes. Or that he came to the meeting. Mostly he just didn’t want to see the giant mad.

“What they are all about since Five showed back up,” Klaus slipped himself into a dress, “the end of the world.” He sounded bored.

“What the fuck.”

Klaus looked down at himself, “What? You don’t mind do you? Please tell me you are okay with dresses and things on me. It’s been nine months, almost ten, since I’ve been able to wear something like this-- I’ve mentioned wearing skirts and things, right?”

Dave faced Klaus and put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, “No, I don’t mind the dress. _But end of the world?_ ”

“Yeah, I kinda forgot that was happening when I suggested we come here,” Klaus scratched at his cheek. “Oops.”

Oops indeed.

Swallowing, Dave nodded, “Give me a second.”

When he looked up again, he saw Klaus biting his nails, eyes downcast. He was worried. Dave realized he was shaking slightly. 

Dave quickly pulled him into his arms.

He couldn’t let Klaus spiral down the thoughts he was obviously having, “It’s fine darling. You all are working to stop the end of the world, right?” He felt Klaus nod, “Alright, then I have total faith that you’ll be able to do that.”

“We kinda didn’t the first time,” Klaus had yet to relax in his grasp and Dave wasn’t going to let go until he did. “Five said we all died in the future. But he said it’d be different now that he was here to help? Fuck I brought you to the future when we’re all just going to die.”

“Nope, none of that.” Dave said, starting to sway them back and forth. “We’re going to go downstairs, you’ll introduce me to your family. We will ignore Luther as he seems to be an ass and I will try not to stare at Pogo because _you could have warned me_. Is he normal in the future or just normal for you?”

Klaus laughed and finally started to relax, “Normal for me. Sorry. Didn’t think. You know me: mashed potatoes for brains. Did you know that years of drug abuse will do that to you? The brain egg commercial was right.”

The two (three? was Ben around? four if Lopez was there?) of them made their way downstairs.

“Allison, Diego, Dave,” Klaus said, pulling Dave to a sofa and then draping himself elegantly over both Dave and the sofa. He was trying to be obvious to Luther that Dave wasn’t going away. 

“I’m sorry, who is this?” Allison asked.

“His druggie boyfriend,” Luther answered, “Who I forbade from coming.”

“He’s not a druggie,” Klaus said, glaring at Luther, “and fuck you, he can come to the family meeting because he is family.”

“Then how come we’ve never met him?”

“Because he’s from fifty years in the past,” Klaus said as if it was obvious.

Allison muttered to herself something about why her siblings kept getting weird boyfriends while Diego played with a knife and kept looking from Klaus to Luther.

“Jesus, Klaus. What are you on?” Luther said.

“I’m sober, fuckwit,” Klaus hissed, “Dave doesn’t like it when I do drugs so I do less of them and it’s been a week since I’ve had anything. Including weed or booze!”

“You were high two days ago!” Luther yelled.

Dave put a hand around Klaus to stop him before speaking up himself, “You mean when he got kidnapped and tortured? And no one cared?” He ignored Allison’s quick intake of breath, “He doesn’t need to prove himself to you. Besides, is this meeting about me and Klaus or about the end of the world?”

Before any of them could respond, a small woman walked in the room. She looked around, eyes stopping on Dave for a second, “What’s going on?”

“It’s a family meeting.”

She looked hurt then, looking once more at Dave, “Oh? And I wasn’t invited but he was?”

Allison started to get up, “No, Vanya, it’s not like--”

Before she could finish, Klaus quickly got up and walked right up to Vanya. Dave could tell by the way he moved that he was _worried_ and if Klaus was worried, Dave knew he should be _scared_.

“Why do you have so many ghosts following you?” Klaus’s voice was low. 

“What?” Vanya eyed him, “I don’t-- I don’t have ghosts, Klaus. You must be hallucinating.”

“He says he’s sober,” Luther helpfully pointed out but sounding doubtful.

“Hm?” Klaus tilted his head, “Not Vanya? Then who-- Who is Harold Jenkins?” There was the sound of something being knocked over in the other room, “His dad? And you? The real Leonard Peabody, whatever that means.” Vanya shook her head, starting to back up slowly but Klaus just grabbed her arm, “Vanya, dear, this Helen Cho says you know her.”

“Helen Cho?” Her voice shook.

Klaus nodded, still looking at the ghost, “Said you were great at the audition but didn’t need to have your boyfriend kill her to get the spot?”

“I didn’t--I swear, I didn’t have her killed!” Vanya yelled as some of the pictures started to shake on the wall.

Before Klaus could say more, a man came into the room, “He’s lying! He’s high! He can’t see ghosts!”

“How else would he know Helen’s name?” Dave asked, not liking the look of this guy at all. Probably the Harold Klaus spoke of.

Vanya turned to him, looking smaller than she was, “Did you kill her?” 

“Vanya,” his voice was sickenly sweet, “I just had to show you your potential. You are so powerful and none of them deserve to see it!”

Klaus let out a high pitched laugh, “Next he’s going to say he would’ve gotten away with it, if it weren’t for you meddling kids and your ghosts!”

Harold let out a yell and then ran at Klaus.

As Harold hit Klaus, Klaus lost his grip on Vanya, his footing on the floor, and his life.

_Again_

And like _every time_

Time slowed for Dave

As he had to watch his boyfriend hit the floor

An audible and loud **crack**

The pool of blood

The eyes still open and unseeing

Everyone screaming

Dave by Klaus’s side

Cradling him _again_

Because what if this time

_This time_

God was greedy

There was a flash of blue light as a child appeared

“What the fuck is going on?” The kid yelled.

Dave looked up from Klaus to see Harold on the ground, knocked out, or also dead (hopefully dead), Luther standing over him, Vanya crying on the floor, Diego standing protectively next to her, and Allison beside Dave.

“Vanya’s boyfriend killed Klaus,” Allison said quietly.

The kid (was this Five?) turned sharply, “No. No, no. _No_. I came back so that none of us died. I can fix this. I’ll just go back--”

“He’ll come back,” Dave said, “He always does.”

“What?” Five demanded, “Who the hell are you?”

“Dave, Klaus’s boyfriend,” He sighed and held Klaus tighter, “He has a bad habit of dying.” His voice trembled, still worried, “God never keeps him.”

“What the fuck, Dave.”

“Dave, what the fuck.”

Dave shrugged, “He says she doesn’t like him. He’ll be back. He has to be.”

He had to come back.

He wasn’t allowed to take Dave to the future and then _leave him there alone_.

Thankfully a moment later

Klaus came back with a gasp, sitting up as if he was pulled by his chest, “Fuck me.”

The room burst into noise then. Everyone talking at once, yelling over each other. Dave glared at them as Klaus began to hunker down on himself, folding himself in, long arms and legs tucked. He leaned into Dave’s arms.

“Hey!” Dave yelled, using his best military voice. They all quieted, “Shockingly, coming back to life sucks so please keep it down for a bit.”

Klaus let out a weak laugh, “Thanks dear.”

Five pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay, from the start.”

They started to look at each other, not sure who should start when Klaus piped up, “I was kidnapped and tortured by your co-workers, then I stole their briefcase, met Dave in the Vietnam War, came back here, met some ghosts that were following around Harold Jenkins, who is Vanya’s boyfriend, then he killed me.” He paused, “I think that’s a good summary.”

“Did you say ‘Harold Jenkins’?” Five asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“He’s the guy who starts the apocalypse.” 

The room burst into noise again.

“Ha! Take that dad.” Klaus mumbled.

“What was that?” Dave asked him, trying to shield him from the siblings that were yelling. He quickly glanced at Vanya who seemed to be staring at Harold in horror. The pictures were shaking again.

“Met up with that fucker when I died. Called me his biggest disappointment. Jokes on him, because of my death the world was saved,” his chuckle was defeated.

They ended up turning Harold into the police, but not long after he was there he had apparently killed himself. After seeing Five’s power, Dave wasn’t sure if it was a suicide. 

That evening they all sat down in a different living room, one that Klaus had not died in (Dave assumed, only Klaus knew if he ever died in this shithole while growing up and he doubted that Klaus would share with the class if and where he had). Everyone had calmed down. Everyone had questions. Questions for Five, questions for Klaus, questions for Vanya.

Dave had his own questions for Klaus but that could wait until they were alone and Dave could ask _what the fuck, Klaus_ as often as he needed. He actually had the rest of his life to ask those questions. And since they were no longer in a war or waiting for the end of the world, it could be decades of time.

That sounded lovely.

Decades with Klaus by his side.

Thankfully they were being civil to one another as they spoke, which from the small amount Dave saw them before hand, it seemed like a miracle. 

“Oh hey,” Klaus turned around in Dave’s lap, interrupting Five in some long spiel about time travel, “you saved the world, Dave.”

“Klaus, what the fuck. I had nothing to do with it,” Dave was very confused.

“If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t be sober and I wouldn’t have seen the ghosts,” Klaus explained. 

The rest of them paused and seemed to think that through.

Five let out a disgusted noise, “Did we save the world with the power of love?”

Klaus laughed, “Dad would be so mad! Saving the world with the power of gay love. After all, he is one of the people who hate crimed me; I told you how he broke my jaw, right?”

A chorus of _what the fuck, Klaus_ sounded as Dave held him tighter, giving a small laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://obliqueoptimism.tumblr.com)


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